40. Partnering Solo with Taja Riley

September 30, 2020 00:44:01
40. Partnering Solo with Taja Riley
Words That Move Me with Dana Wilson
40. Partnering Solo with Taja Riley

Sep 30 2020 | 00:44:01

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Show Notes

This episode shines a light on talent, transition, and  trauma.  Taja Riley and her alter, Kim Visions, join us to talk about our responsibility to create (the work of our dreams, and a legacy for the future), but we also discuss our responsibility to dismantle… our stigmas around mental health.  Please continue with curiosity and compassion… and enjoy!

Show Notes:

Quick Links:

Mental Health Resources:

National Institute for Mental Health: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help/index.shtml

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Helpline: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline

Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health: https://dmh.lacounty.gov/our-services/

Mental Health America Alternative Medicine: https://www.mhanational.org/complementary-alternative-medicine-mental-health-conditions

Mental Health Services (CA) https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/Pages/MentalHealthPrograms-Svcs.aspx

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Episode Transcript

Intro: This is words that move me, the podcast where movers and shakers, like you get the information and inspiration. You need to navigate your creative career with clarity and confidence. I am your host master mover, Dana Wilson. And if you're someone that loves to learn, laugh and is looking to rewrite the starving artist story, then sit tight, but don't stop moving because you're in the right place.  Dana: Hello everybody. And thank you for being here today. I'm Dana. This is words that move me and I'm jazzed about this episode. Yes. Um, if you are new to the podcast, I start every episode with wins. I'm going to tell you mine, and then I'm gonna leave you a little bit of time to tell me yours this week. My win is that I have graduated from a coach certification program. Yes, I am now a certified coach. My area of interest and specialization is in career coaching specifically for individuals in art and entertainment, which if you've been listening to this podcast for a while, should come as no surprise to you. Um, if you're curious about what career coaching is, what coaching is in general or what it might look like to work together, head on over to theDanawilson.com/coachcurious, that is theDanawilson.com/coachcurious. Okay, that's my win. Now you go, what's going well in your world.   Alright. Nicely done. Way to go. Congrats. I'm proud of you. Keep on crushing it. Okay. Today I am joined by my longtime friend, Taja Riley and her alter Kim Visions. In this episode, we get to learn about the Riley record industry, Royal family, and we discuss mental health. I learned so much about stigmas that most of us carry around mental health disorders and the importance of really personalized treatment. Really. I actually learned the importance of listening, and I hope that you enjoy and learn from listening in on this conversation with Taja Riley and Kim Visions.  Dana: I’m so excited to be doing this thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. Um, I, this is, this is common practice. I like to have all of my guests introduce themselves. So have at it my friend. What would you like us to know about you?   Taja: Okay. So my name is Taja Riley. My parents gave me that name. Um, but I have also discovered there's another person that would like to be introduced that I, um, I guess the host of her name is Kim Visions. And, uh, she may answer some of your questions today, but I'll always refer to, this is what Kim is saying because I am in the driver's seat so.   Dana: So lucky to be the recipient of two guests, but only one email, one email thread, um, welcome Taja and welcome Kim Visions. I am so excited to get to know you. Um, I've been watching Taja grow up on a stage, um, as a competition dancer, since what, like, I think the first time I watched you dance, you were probably 12, maybe 13. And, um, men that, that entire time I knew it was very clear that you are a force to be reckoned with on the performance level, on a creative level, on a technical level I might add. And, um, I, I've always been fascinated with your work. You are captivating to watch. Um, so I might might just start if we could, by talking a little bit about the way that you grew up, um, which was as a competitive dancer or a studio kid, as they are affectionately known, I watched you grow up on a competition stage. I knew you more or less in and out of, you know, studio workshops, summer intensives, things like that. But eventually we became colleagues teaching for NYCDA. We spent every summer for how many summers in New York city, Midtown at that Sheraton every year for nationals. Um, your trajectory, so many nationals. Um, but your trajectory has fascinated me. I'm hoping you can talk a little bit about your training at Denise Walls and how that prepared for you for the quote real world. And what does real world look like?   Taja: Okay. So real world back then, I started training at Denise's funny story, very quick one. Um, but I started training at Denise's when I was seven. I used to go to this other studio. I'm not going to name the name just in case they're listening. Um, but, um, it was tech rehearsal day and my mom got me and my sister's surprise tickets to spice world concert. And it was like, this is like the day before the show. And I was like, I'm not missing Mel-B or Mel-C. There's just no way. And, um, we went and we went to tech rehearsal and then we were like, you know, we have to leave early because we have to get ready for the concert and they were not having it. She was like, if you walk out of this though, you ain't coming back no more. And that's literally what happened. I said, I said, okay, um, you clearly don't have my best interest at heart. I would really like to go see SpiceWorld. And I went and we got kicked out of his studio, What a fateful day  but it was thanks to the spice girls. You know, I found Denise's and it really was, we were out of like a place to train me and my sister. That's why I'm saying we, and, um, my dad was rehearsing at Denise's at the time doing his stuff for black street. And, um, I guess it came up in conversation one day, Denise brought it up and she was like, “you have daughters?” like, cause he said, he mentioned something about us and she was like, you have daughters and you have not brought them to the studio. And she was like, live it. And so he was like, okay, okay, okay. I'll talk to, I'll talk to Donna. That's my mom and my mom ended up bringing us in and yeah, I just like, from there, I think, uh, Denise and the whole faculty at the studio just kind of fell in love with us. We became those regulars and um, yeah, I mean, I, I had like three recreational years and then moved into the junior company, which is what Denise wanted to test out. And I remember just feeling so electric about dance just from, from that time that like, you know, when people are like, when did you start dancing? And I'm like, uh, well, technically I say like seven, because that's when I was on a comprehensive level where I was actually taking things in. And it's also when I started dancing at Denise's. But, um, but yeah, like I remember like this feeling, it was, um, it was it's raining men. That was the, that was the dance. And I remember like they gave me a little solo to, no, it was 1999. It was 1999. It was 1999. And they gave me a partnering solo. Wait, what’s a partnering solo? Okay. A partnering solo is when they ask you to partner with somebody, but then it becomes a solo.  I love, Taja, you might have just named the episode. Partnering Solo with Taja Riley and Kim Visions. You heard it here first. Okay So that's when it kind of jelled for you. When you really felt like a dancer? Yeah, it did. It really felt like I'm a dancer, but it was even more than that because I felt, I think because my music is my first love. Like I was born on the same day as one of my dad's concerts. So I do think that there's such a musical, um, tie that I have outside of the fact that my family's a music entertainment family. Um, but I was also the kid that did not have rhythm. Um, my dad was actually very embarrassed by me and he was like, Oh my God, Donna. He was like Donna, Oh my God, I can not have a child that has no rhythm. This is just so this is not good. Like he was like, you have to throw her any and everything. So my mom put us with four instruments. We were in the choir at school and we did dance and I did gymnastics and it was rhythmic gymnastics that I had to do because I had to get musicality.   We can't just be having you on those parallel bars. You need to be parallel bars on beat  On beat on beat.   I had no idea that that is how your relationship with Denise Walls started. So that's fascinating. So Taja’s, dad is Teddy Riley. He is a legend to put it very simply. Um, he produced Michael Jackson's Dangerous. He is credited for pretty much single handedly, creating new Jack swing, which is one of my favorite genres of music and dance. Um, he and his group Black Street brought us No Diggity, which is for the record. Like if you really had to ask me for one song, like if I had to listen to one song over and over and over and over again until the end of time.  It would probably be that.  No way  Close sec. Well, yeah, It's a tie with a superstition by Stevie wonder.   Okay. Okay. Yeah,   A fair up toss up. But I would love to see those two songs do get out by the way. Okay. Anyways, so that is Teddy Riley in a nutshell. So let's talk a little bit about other than him, um, at first being suspicious of your rhythm, what is it like growing up with a music mogul dad and how did that shape your relationship with dance and music?   You know, it's funny because well, the entertainment industry, as you know, it's, there's so much, it's a whole nother, it can be high school sometimes it can be this workplace of a community or a village that you find, but it can also be very like cutthroat in terms of relevancy. And I know that there's like this inward battle with even people that feel like they, um, have a place in the industry or they feel like they have to stay  On top It's the battle of now I have to stay on top and how do I stay on top? How do I one up my top? How do I one up myself? How do I one up my competitors? How do I bring something different to the table? And then also you're probably collaborating with people and passing on your formula. And then those people that you're, you've actually helped and, you know, through God or whoever you answer to divinely, they, they become a competitor. And so, and they become like, you know, obviously, um, it's just, it's just a, it's just a, it's a constant cycle of try, try to survive, try like it's that rat race to try to survive. And with doing that, uh, some people's priorities, you know, are simply that, that those are the top priorities for them because it actually is. They feel like it is the excuse for what they, what they call their priority, which is family, you know? And so for my dad, his belief was I believe to my perspective, right. Um, I think I saw and observed that he wanted to provide so much for my family, that he, you know, dove into a zone of his work and, and that allowed him so certain doors to open for himself, even certain doors to open for us. And in, in a way that's kinda like your, your trust fund, right? You're uh, as you, as you get older, that, that cushion, um, that allows you in a, in like a Royal family, it's like you you're underneath that family. So you automatically have that favor, you know, um, or people automatically see you in this light or this class or this cast system. Um, so in that way, I think it was a great help. But then in other ways, you know, did I ever really play ball with my dad? No. And I'm like a tomboy. So like sports were my thing. I've never played a soccer game with my dad. I did get a chance to share moments with him at like, you know, the movies and going bowling and, you know, different like really, um, like family outing type things. But it did seem a lot, like he was very focused on other things, you know, and I don't blame him for that. I think that, you know, we're all human and we're all just trying to figure it out. And I think whatever is passed down from the other generation, we're also trying to learn or separate ourselves from that, or try and try and up that ante. And I think for him that was his major priority, but he kind of lost sight of, you know, maybe the, the extra personal time he could have spent what that said though. I think he, um, is teaching me so many new things now, you know, as an adult and, um, he's still my dad, but he's not, it's not the same kind of responsibility of like, you know, pick me up after school and make sure I get my lunch on time. Yeah. Yeah. It's more of like, uh, there's a nurture that comes into play where I'm realizing that, um, this is an even bigger coaching and mentorship than I could've ever desired from myself because music and entertainment is truly where I need the tutelage, you know? And he has so much to offer that in terms of, even if I were to just go on the internet and search through him and see his interviews and see the things I can still get that coaching. And then I have the extra personal time backstage, you know,  I'm so glad that you mentioned that not only does he have so much to offer in terms of being a mentor in the field of music and entertainment, but he is actually also your dad. So he has a lot to offer and he has a lot of interest in you, right? So many people, especially today, the climate for mentorship programs is, is, is thick. Like this is a, it's a time when people are able to be training. It's a time when people are capitalizing on their experience, their education and their interest in connecting in a deeper way. But could any one of those mentors offer their mentee as much individual care, compassion and genuine interest as your dad gives you? I mean, he's your dad. So maybe, maybe yes. Maybe no. It's very interesting that I hadn't thought about that in terms of a mentor, mentee relationship, your dad is invested in you because you're a part of the, the family band,   The family band. Yeah. No, but you know, I love the guy. I love that guy. And I think he's great. You know, I think he, what he does is absolutely it's astonishing to have this sense. Like, there's this one thing that I can't shake. I haven't been able to shake over my entire careers that I don't know my whole, my dad's whole discography, like from top to bottom. But if I were to ever hear a song on the radio that was either influenced by him or created by him, I know instantly. And it's like a, it is a second sense, but not a second sense. I think it's six. Maybe it's a six. I think, I think we have five senses. If I'm, if I'm correct. Some movies try to tell you there are six and that the sixth one is love or, or something, but I don't know.   Never heard of that one.  That's what I think. The movie,  Um, Oh, what's his McConaughey. Matthew McConaughey the movie about space. Was it called? Not, Oh God, I don't interstellar. I think that movie was trying to tell me that love is the sixth, sixth dimension and that if we're going to time travel, we talk to each other through love and connection and bookshelves. That's what I walked away from that movie with. But that's neither here nor there have you seen it?  I have not.   That's why you're confused. Go check that out. Check that out and tell me I’m wrong  I will. I will not probably tell you you're wrong. I'll probably agree with you   Well dang it now I'm wishing I haven't tainted your, um,   Oh, it's fine. I'll probably forget. I'll probably forget while watching it. And then when it occurs to me, I'll be like somebody said something about bookshelves  This reminds me. Yeah. Okay. You're going to love this. Okay. I'm sorry.   I sideswiped us. I got distracted. I feel like, you know, on the subject of your dad and his signature, his musical signature, he's very clearly left a legacy and imprint on the industry and on the sounds. Um, but you know what I was, as I was researching, um, you and your dad, matter of fact, I discovered something I did not know. And I think many people don't know that your dad is actually the first African American producer to use, uh, to actually produce K-pop and bring it to America. And so I, his legacy is even deeper than what I knew or expected to find out. Um, so my question for you let's get back to you is what do you want your legacy to be? What is the imprint that you are making that will last long after   I think what’s really important to me, because I feel like you leave a bit of your legacy in everyone you encounter. Right. Um, so I think for me, it's just to be an example of my core values, you know, continue to be that example. And I think, I don't know, I have this like big desire over all of my other desires to, to be the matriarch of my family, you know, um, of the family that I create. And that's like, I want to love to be able to look back on grandkids and great grandkids and know that, you know, I built a solid foundation with either just even me through me or with me and my partner or me and my village, or, you know, me and my alter, who, whoever is entangled in my life, that I've been able to create multiple generations or have a hand in involvement in multiple generations, watch them grow, watch their process and have been able to live it and be present with them. Um, I think that in itself, if I can remain present in every moment, whatever legacy I end up creating in the end will be something I'm like super proud of. Um, I don't know if that answers your question and I think I generalized it.  Spot on. It's beautiful.  Just want to keep it open.  You know, I think it's, to me, If I were to, um, write the Twitter version of that answer, um, if, if your dad put his fingerprint on, you know, his time in this world, it was in music and when you do it, it will be through a network of people and you have a network of gifts, a huge variety in ways of expressing yourself. Actually that might be a good place to go next. Um, you DJ, you teach, you perform at like insanely high levels in an insanely diverse range of styles in terms of dance. Um, absolutely. I mean, I, you are, you're one of my favorite dancers that there is,   Oh my God. What. That is like the biggest compliment ever!  Oh my gosh Taja watching you is such a ride. It is such a ride. It is. I think maybe my favorite reason if I could really back myself up here in saying, why is that when I watch you dance, I watch you experience your dance as opposed to just demonstrating or performing your dance. I'm watching you experience very viscerally. And that is a quality that I'm very attracted to. So you are definitely tops my friend, but you do so many things in addition to performing, um, as I mentioned, the DJ-ing, the teaching, you assist you choreograph a question, what is your favorite mode for creating?   I don't have one. You know what, like I read somewhere that they say that when you wake up, the very first thing that you want to do is what you were born to do. But I feel like every 24 hours, like something, something, it just changes. Re-invent updates. You know, I think I find if I can say for right now in this particular phase that I'm in, I think I find the most, um, enthusiastic for me is definitely just conceptualizing, creating a full idea and then trying to make it as interactive and immersive as possible, of going into the dimension of my mind. And I think that that is like, it's, it's so challenging for me. And it's equally pleasurable for me to experience because I really get to get very clear on what it is that exists in my frame of mind, my perspective in my, like in the metaphors, within the metaphors of what I'm trying to mean and what I might mean for that moment and what that could mean for other people. Um, that is, yeah, I think that, that, that's where I'm at right now, but yo give me two, two decks. I will be DJ the most delicious set ever in the world. You know,   That's a great answer. I feel like that question is a setup and anytime you set up, when people ask me, you know, cause I, you know, I love to edit. I love to capture, I love to choreograph. I love to teach. Um, but I think what you're like, what you're shining your light on, is that any opportunity that you get to do, all of them is really the sweet spot. Like yeah. That's, that's the coolest and it sounds like, and I, I don't, I know you're not able to say too much, but it sounds like you're working on right now, exactly that a project where you can call on all of your many interests and talents. Um, what are you able to say about where you're working on?   Right. Okay.  So don't get in trouble. I can't get in trouble cause I'm the boss and that's why it's really fun. But, um, but what I can say, cause you know, like, I don't know if you've ever seen fyre festival, but nobody wants to fyre a festival. Right?   Except the the internet, the internet had a heyday with that. The internet loved that internet loves it.   Netflix loved it. And I think Ja Rule loves it as well, but yeah, but yeah, I mean, like getting away from that, um, but what I, what I am creating right now started off as just a project, even like a few years back that was just portions of other projects, all coming together in one. Um, I can say that, you know, originally this started off with two meetings, um, I had gotten approached by a digital platform, um, and that digital platform gave me the opportunity and the permissions to create my own virtual event. And, uh, immediately after like I had another meeting with, uh, a VR company, um, that decided to move forward with me and forming a relationship and green-lighting um, my dance VR video game concept. So I basically, I sat with it for a while and hadn't, I had a conversation with my sister and she was like, ‘Taj, you're so good at everything, but you're so ADD’ like really, like, she was like, you should just pick like one thing and I've had a couple people tell me this, that like, you know, I will start in, you know, consume myself with one idea and then I'll just like float to the next.  It's like some segue, you know, to, to another idea. And then another idea is born and another idea and I love ideas. I really do. But she was like, ‘if you just put all of your focus and attention on seeing this one idea all the way through, she was like, everything else, you pick that one idea that it's going to be that, that base and that foundation for all these other ideas to STEM off of.’ And I just kept going back and forth in my head. Like, but like, but both of these, like I wish I could get both of these to work. Cause I think both of them are great. And what ended up happening is I decided I will combine both of those ideas into one and treat my development stage, um, as my show and as the event. So on a subconscious level, I'm teaching other people how to play my video game before it comes out. Interesting.  I think that's like the most fat I can give you   You certainly piqued my interest. Um, and it sounds like you are creating a solo duet.  That's what it is, another partnering solo.  So you're bringing two ideas together to be one thing. And I understand the challenge of focus in that way. When, when you are weaving so many different ideas together, it takes extreme attention and focus. But my friend between all of the things that you are and find interesting, I cannot wait to see what this partnering solo becomes I’m so excited  Oh my God, I will say this because she will not let me live it down. If I don't mention that this is not my idea alone. This is an idea that actually is very much coming from her mind and her dimension and her vision and what she's given me in her, meaning Kim. Um, and I'm still on that journey of figuring out what, what exactly this walk is, mentally, spiritually for me with this other voice that I tendency here and this other. Um, yeah, I don't know if you want to segue into that a bit.   I would love, and I hope that we can segue with some compassion. This is my first time talking about, um, a person with a person that is an alter. Is that perfect? Is that the correct word to use? Do you consider Kim an alter ego or, um, what, what's the verbiage I should be using?   I would think, I would think it was an alter ego, but funny thing happened, right? Like couple of years ago, um, which, you know, I was in a, I was in a cult and um, I got out and it was a pretty deep way, um, that I got out and there was a start over restart that happened. I do believe in a lot of ways that when that night occurred, that there was a rebirth or a transformation, I just feel very far from any of the other previous lives or phases that I have gone through. Um, as a person, I don't really feel connected to those, that persona or that part of myself anymore. Um, I feel a different energy and I think a lot of my friends have shared that it is different. Um, even the way that I look is very, very different. Um, when I did actually start seeing a trauma specialist, they shared that this is my brain's rewiring. The brain is so powerful and it wants to protect you. It wants to make sure that you are you're good.   Dana: This is where the conversation gets real. Now I may be a certified coach now, but I am not by any means a neuroscientist, a therapist, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a behavioral scientist, or even a person that knows what is best for people who are dealing with trauma. I don't have the tools, the training or the experience to speak to the way that our brain handles traumas. But I am a person that thinks it's tremendously important to shine a light on discussions about mental health. In the next part of our conversation, Taja talked about the way that she got out of the cult and the things that she experienced afterward. I've edited that conversation to be age appropriate for my young listeners, but in the edited portion of the interview, Taja talks about having difficulty, recognizing people, not eating, not sleeping gaps in consciousness, sensitivity to certain materials and textures and even colors and various other experiences. If you or somebody that you know are experiencing something similar, I don't personally have the tools to help you here, but in the show notes of this episode, I'm including links to the international society for the study of trauma and diassociation. I'm offering links to resources where you can find professionals or more professional help visit the department of mental health at dmh.lacounty.gov That's a great resource, especially if you are in the Los Angeles area and don't have insurance. Other resources are MHAnational.org for complimentary and alternative medicine, as well as the national helpline for substance abuse and mental health services. That's SAMHSA.gov All of those resources will be linked in the show notes of this episode, along with some recommended reading from Taja and the mental health center locator, that's www.nimh.nih.gov One more time. That's the mental health center locator, N I M H dot N I H.gov. I hope that within those resources, you are able to find someone you can trust and that can help you. All right. Let's jump back in now with TaJa and Kim.  Experiencing one of my first episodes was so catastrophic for me in terms of my emotional intelligence and where I felt like I was, but like, I literally went through a weekend where I could not use my hands. Like it was preventing me from that. And after coming out of that, um, and getting a sense of, okay, you've got to do something about it. Having a crying moment is not going to help. How do we, how do we, uh, navigate this? What, what do I need to learn? How do I need to get educated, um, to define, and, or even, I don't even need to define it right now just to collect right. And ha take data, take inventory and examine things that maybe I'm adding to the pool. That is, that's making me go into this crazy time, you know, to a point where I'm locking myself inside my door, you know, like I'm locking myself in my room at night, so I don't go traveling that's that's not okay. You know?  And with that data, did you take all of that information you'd collected and seek help or, or get medical attention? What was your, you know, what does that help structure look like for you right now?   Yeah, I mean, at first I wanted to find somebody that could spiritually keep tabs, you know, and going that route without God in it, for me. Um, I thought worked out, but I, I don't think I actually found what I was looking for in terms of receiving that truth. I dived into, you know, the trauma specialist route after months of being like, I'm not going to any hospital for a number of reasons. One because of the whole COVID experience that we're going through. And then on top of that, I've always felt squeamish about, you know, being treated or being diagnosed, AKA, somebody speaking something on your life that you, you feel like you can lose power. I've, I've, I've heard friends of mine that even with Denise, you know, hearing, hearing a doctor tell you, you have cancer is way different than you saying to your body there's something weird. I need to go fix it. And yes, sometimes learning that information from other people is helpful, but there's something about multiple people knowing that and thinking that, and being in agreement with that, that can change your, your recovery process or change the energy towards getting better, finding health. You know, somebody gives you a certain title. You feel like you have to act that certain way, or you feel like you have to prove that you're not acting that certain way. When people say that you're crazy, anything that you try and demonstrate to them to prove that you are otherwise makes you crazier, to me. Like, yeah. And I think that just even the term usage of disorder, that's what makes me squeamish. It's like, it's like saying moist, like it's really about, you know, you're like, um,   Dig into that. You’re saying .. Are you saying that the word disorder makes you uncomfortable the same way that the word moist makes you uncomfortable?   Yes.   Yeah. It is not my jam. That way. I've got three words that drive me nuts, but are you saying that it's the sound and the like the look of the word disorder or what it means?   I think it's, I think it's what it means. I was thinking the feeling in terms of how moist makes me feel. Um, but, but in terms of the actual usage, I have a problem with people saying disorder. So I I challenged, it was saying, if I do I experience, I am experiencing these symptoms right now that you would put in this category of dissociative identity disorder, but I'd like to refer to it as if I'm, if I have that multiple personality that I'm multiple personality proficient, or I'm a multihyphenate human being that is hypersensitive to triggers. You know, I feel like for anybody that is dealing with their mental health, and I would say, I would venture to say, everybody's dealing with their mental health right now. And, um, it could be in a, in a, in a place of, you know, trying to figure out what, what is the key to happiness or success in isolation, uh, even that, um, on a mental level, it's a lot to handle. I just think that that's where I'm at right now, but the usage, the usage of the way people position things, sometimes I think could use a little re-up, a little update, you know, and I think it's time we're at a place where people are, are experiencing the reform, you know, of many things, you know, so I think reforming and reevaluating language and terms, um, the way that we speak, the way  that we address each other, I think so much of this is, is necessary. And I think that even when it comes to like the DSM four like describing conditions, medical conditions, I do think there's language changing all over the place around certain things. Um, I'm glad to see language changing. I'm glad to see human beings taking advantage of our, uh, self-awareness and this, like this evolved brain that we have, where yeah, we are actually able to think about thinking, like, we can think about our thoughts and we get to decide what we make certain words mean, but you can see the problem where if everybody had their own meaning for every word, we, all of a sudden are a completely disjointed, broken community that can't connect on anything. If we don't know what anything means or what it means to you is different than what it means to them. And what it means to you today is different than what it means to you tomorrow. And how do we move forward?   Dana: How do we move forward? When language is always changing? How do we understand each other? When words mean different things to different people? Are words neutral or are words and their meanings set, rigid, binding. And in that ultimately powerful, I don't know the best or the right way to answer those questions today. But if I've learned one thing in recording a weekly podcast, it's that words are important. Especially a word like disorder. The public stigma towards mental health disorders has built a pervasive barrier that prevents so many people from access to jobs, education, and even prevent some people from engaging in mental health care. Again, I'm not a brain scientist. Again, I am not a brain scientist or a scientist of any sort. I am a dancer. I am a choreographer. Yes, I am a coach. But I think that to say this discussion is none of my business or not my problem is a disservice to myself and to others. This conversation with Taja and Kim has reminded me that I can be a part of a peer support system. I can share resources that connect them to professional support systems, and I can evaluate and dismantle my own stigmas around mental health. That is my personal goal. I don't think it's reasonable to ask for a world that is completely free of judgment, but I do think we can help each other find more freedom by being better listeners and encouraging personalized treatment.  Dana: This, this quest for freedom to me, begins with awareness. And it sounds like you are doing the work to become aware of your, uh, your feelings, your experience of this life. It's, it's cool to hear you writing the empowering stories and taking stock, collecting data on what you're experiencing and using all of your many gifts, tying them all together to create value in this world. Um, and I'm, I'm so interested. I'm very curious in what it is that you're experiencing, um, you know, sensationally in your body, but also mentally and what's going on in there. And, um, man, I'm, I'm inspired by your journey. I'm very interested in it. I think I'll be going to do some more research myself, man. I just thank you so much for sharing so openly. I really appreciate,   Taja: Of course. Yeah, no. Um, thank you for being open with me so that I could do that and have that platform. I really appreciate it Dana and, um, everybody out there stay safe. Okay.   Yes. Thank you, Taj. I'll talk to you soon.   Yeah Bye! Alright. Everybody. That is it for me today. I am so glad to have had this conversation and so happy to be sharing it with you. Again, don't forget to check the show notes for all of the helpful resources that I've mentioned. And if I have missed any, if you are a person that has found support in other ways and places, I would love to hear about it. A great place for us to be in touch is over at words that moved me podcast on Instagram, I look forward to hearing from you. And of course, I look forward to talking to you. Thank you so much for being here everybody, talk to you later.  Thought you were done. No. Now I'm here to remind you that all of the important people, places and things mentioned in this episode can be found on my website, theDanawilson.com/podcast Finally. And most importantly, now you have a way to become a word that I remember. So kickball change over to patreon.com/WTMMpodcast to learn more and join. All right, everybody. Now I'm really done. Thanks so much for listening. I'll talk to you soon. 

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